Hospitalized patients often require patient care equipment to be in close proximity during hospital care. Such patient care equipment may include heart monitoring equipment, medical gas delivery equipment, infusion pumps, intra-venous bags, equipment monitors, defibrillators, and other patient care equipment, many of which directly connect to the patient via lines or tubes.
The present invention comprises one or more of the following features or elements in the appended claims or combinations thereof.
A support structure is provided typically to be at the head end of a patient support device. The support structure may be configured to be mounted to extend between a hospital floor and ceiling, or upwardly from a hospital floor or downwardly from a hospital ceiling, or it may be configured to extend outwardly from a hospital wall or be embedded in the wall. The support structure may be positioned adjacent a hospital wall or spaced therefrom. An arm extends from the support structure and is pivotally movable relative to the structure, typically in a horizontal plane. The arm may be telescoping or fixed in length and comprise a first portion having a mount end pivotably mounted to the support structure and a distal end extending away from the support structure. The first portion is pivotable about a pivot axis, and a second portion is coupled to the distal end of the first portion and may be configured to telescope relative to the first portion.
A patient care equipment column may be supported by the second portion, the patient care equipment column providing either mounting capabilities for patient care equipment or a service head for patient care equipment, or both. Patient care equipment may be mounted or coupled to an equipment support, and/or patient care equipment may be coupled to any one or more of the services provided by one or more service heads. The patient care equipment column may be pivotable about a vertical axis passing through the distal end of the arm.
The support structure may be integrated with or part of a headwall and/or a bed locator. The support structure and/or arm and/or service head and/or headwall may have service outlets, such as for delivery of medical gases or suction, delivery of electrical power, and transmission of data.
Additional telescoping or fixed-length arms may be provided, and may be mounted to the support structure for horizontal pivotable movement about the same pivot axis, or about different axes. Such additional arms may carry a service head, a monitor, and/or patient monitoring equipment.
In some illustrative embodiments, a console or head wall unit is provided, the console providing cabinets for housing any one of the service head, the monitor, and the equipment support when these are in their respective storage positions.
Illustratively, a brake system is provided for impeding the pivoting movement of at least one of the arms when the brake system is actuated. In the illustrated embodiment, the brake system includes a pivot member, such as a tube or an arbor, coupled to the arm for rotation therewith about an axis. A brake is movable between a braking position engaging the pivot member with sufficient force to impede the pivoting movement of the arm and a releasing position allowing pivoting movement of the arm. An actuator is coupled to the brake to move the brake between the braking and releasing positions in response to an input from a user. Typically, the pivot member will be a tube mounted to the arm generally concentric with the axis of rotation of the arm.
In some embodiments, the brake includes a strap configured to be wrapped around a portion of the pivot member and a linear actuator coupled to the strap. In some other embodiments, the brake includes a brake pad engageable with the pivot member, a caliper arm carrying the brake pad and a linear actuator coupled to the caliper arm for moving the brake pad into and out of engagement with the pivot member in response to a user input.
In alternative embodiments, the brake includes a gear mounted generally concentrically to the pivot member for rotation therewith, a caliper arm having a tooth and a linear actuator coupled to the caliper arm for moving the tooth into and out of engagement with the pivot member-mounted gear in response to a user input.
Features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the present disclosure as presently perceived.